Chapter 908: The Hearing (4)
Shortly before Lennok was to appear at the hearing.
In a corner of the Magic Tower’s stairway, a long meeting was underway regarding a piece of work Madam had prepared.
[Adjusting the Geas took a bit longer than expected. But the effect will be certain, so please don’t worry.]
Madam said, feigning wiping sweat from beneath her dark veil.
She pointed to the large piece of equipment placed beside her.
[With this device, evading the third rule of the Judgment Edict won’t be a difficult task.]
“……”
[Why is everyone reacting like that?]
“No, I get what you mean, but…”
Jenny said, unable to hide her dubious expression.
“This device that evades the edict. Did it really have to be in this form?”
Lennok didn’t voice any criticism, but his silence was a clear sign of agreement.
A wheeled chair made of overlapping plates of ink-black metal.
The design itself was simple and not awkward, but its purpose was clear.
“I can’t quite imagine what kind of reaction an 8-level archmage will get for showing up to a hearing in a wheelchair.”
Jenny said, frowning as if trying to picture an incredibly difficult image.
But Madam just scoffed coldly, as if the idea was preposterous.
[You seem to be unaware, but this is a piece of equipment that has always been effective throughout the long history of vampires.]
“Yes, but this…”
[I heard that Adamant Thunder has been suffering from injuries for a long time. Why would it be a problem to use a mobility aid for the safety of an injured person?]
“……”
[If you understand, please have a seat right here. I need to check if the equipment’s functions are working properly.]
Madam’s words were resolute.
As if this task were absolutely necessary, she tapped the wheelchair she had placed beside her.
[Wasn’t it for help with matters like this that you sought my consultation?]
“…Fine.”
Lennok finally unfolded his arms and stepped forward.
Lifting the cane he was leaning on with one hand, he took off his coat and glanced at Madam.
“Do I just need to sit? No other preparations needed?”
[Yes. Of course, when you attend the hearing, you’ll need one person to assist with its operation.]
Madam replied leisurely.
[We could install an automatic driving function, but it would be more effective if someone pushed it for you.]
“……”
While Lennok moved as Madam requested, she began to walk around and adjust the wheelchair.
[Good. The height and seat length are about right. The equipment operation is also fine… Now that I look, you weigh less than your physique would suggest, don’t you?]
“You seem quite skilled at this.”
Lennok asked, seeing how adept she was at adjusting the aid, and Madam nodded lightly.
[I learned a bit of Kundara’s technology. Most of the residents there are accustomed to handling such equipment.]
“The long-lived species of the Outer Tribulation City are accustomed to handling mobility aids?”
[No, the equipment for adjusting a Geas.]
Madam shrugged.
[But what you said isn’t entirely wrong. Then and now, Kundara’s interests have always been in deficiency and loss.]
“……”
Adjusting a Geas. Deficiency and loss.
As a vampire, Madam would naturally know more about the Outer Tribulation City than others.
But for now, it seemed Madam had no intention of explaining it further.
[There. Lastly, place the cane you carry on your lap, and cover it with your coat like this….]
Madam stepped back and clapped her hands with a satisfied look.
[And thus, the powerless magician, reluctantly summoned by the tyranny of the Central Council, is complete.]
“……”
“Hey, this…”
Jenny’s expression, who had been watching with suspicion, changed slightly.
Staring intently at Lennok in the wheelchair, Jenny spoke in a hesitant voice.
“It suits you a little too well, doesn’t it?”
“……”
Madam laughed loudly and straightened her shoulders.
[My eyes are never wrong, you know. Do you have any idea how many humans I’ve interacted with and how much I’ve invested in aesthetics?]
“You’re right. I thought the intention was too obvious, but at this level, no one will suspect a thing.”
The two brokers, having instantly reached a consensus, began to whisper about Lennok.
As if intoxicated by her own creation, Madam spoke with excitement.
[This pale face and ashen expression. The parched lips and weary eyes. Everything is aesthetically perfect.]
“I see now how far a vampire’s sense of beauty is from a human’s.”
[Now, if we just roughly sweep the hair up and fix it with some spray-]
“Wow…”
While Jenny let out an unconscious gasp of admiration, Madam pushed the wheelchair and brought Lennok before a mirror in the hallway.
Only then could Lennok see how he currently looked.
“……”
Hollow eyes and a cold expression. As Madam said, lips that had lost their color and a dry face devoid of any moisture.
An intense fatigue was visible, something that couldn’t be hidden even after changing his face with disguise magic.
The aftermath of manipulating mana for days on end without proper sleep had not yet faded.
Sitting in the wheelchair like this, holding his cane at an angle, he looked like a sick man with not long to live.
[I don’t see what’s wrong with making a sick person look sick.]
Madam shrugged nonchalantly.
Now that she saw the finished look on Lennok, she seemed to have gained considerable confidence.
[If you don’t like it, I can change the Geas adjustment device into a different form right now. But I’ll have to charge an incentive this time.]
“……”
[What will it be?]
He had no intention of making Madam work for free, so paying an incentive wasn’t an issue.
The only problem was whether there was a sufficient reason for Lennok to attend the hearing in this state.
While Lennok was contemplating, Jenny, as if struck by an idea, grabbed the wheelchair’s handles.
“I think we can use it like this, too?”
Whirr.
Jenny slowly pushed the wheelchair, moving it up and down the ramp that connected the tower floors.
She effortlessly took Lennok on a trip up and down the tower’s stairwell.
As soon as Lennok saw the wheelchair moving much more smoothly than before on the tower’s ramp, he nodded.
“Good. I suddenly like it.”
“Right?”
Madam watched Lennok and the smiling Jenny, who seemed to have expected as much, with a look of utter confusion.
[……?]
F-F-Flash! Flash! Flash!!!
The moment Lennok stepped out of the back of the sedan in his wheelchair, a torrent of camera flashes erupted.
There wasn’t a soul here who didn’t know that Lennok’s face couldn’t be captured by a camera, yet not a single one gave up on pressing the shutter.
Even if his face couldn’t be seen, just his form would do. If his form couldn’t be captured, then even his shadow.
They thought it was enough if they could leave a record proving Adamant Thunder had attended this hearing.
Amidst the ceaseless sound of shutters, reporters exchanged swift whispers.
“Truly an extraordinary man. How could he think of coming to a hearing looking like that?”
“I heard he was sick. He must have pushed himself too hard during the decisive battle with Cheonbeon.”
“Who knows. Maybe he’s deliberately trying to emphasize that fact in front of the press.”
“Look at his face. Does that deathly pale complexion look like he’s acting sick?”
“……”
The moment they saw the young man’s face in the wheelchair, even the skeptical reporters fell silent.
His form, leaning against the armrest with his eyes closed, seemed so faint it looked as if it could disappear at any moment.
A presence so deeply submerged it was hard to believe he was the wizard who boasted the most sinister reputation in this city.
Faced with that image, like a candle burning its last remaining wick, some reporters began to write furiously in their notepads instead of taking pictures.
Flash! Flash!!
Receiving the camera flashes pouring in from all directions with a blank face, Lennok raised his hand.
“Antares.”
“Right.”
A man who had swept back his hair took hold of the wheelchair handles from behind Lennok and started to walk.
Click, click!!
At the sight of Antares’s equally uncommon appearance, the camera shutters naturally turned toward him as well.
But Antares, instead of ignoring the cameras like Lennok, waved with a relaxed smile.
At his composed reaction, the sound of the reporters’ shutters grew even more frantic.
Leaning back in the wheelchair, cane in hand, Lennok spoke.
“I know you’ve returned to the city after a long time. I apologize for asking this of you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Antares smiled.
Even as they passed through a crowd of hundreds and walked on the carpet, his voice was clear.
“I’m doing this because I want to. In fact, I’m sorry I can only help with something like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m refraining from intervening in matters that change the future of this city.”
Walking through the cameras at a pace neither fast nor slow, Antares continued.
“It would be troublesome if my interference needlessly twisted causality. That’s why I was away from Vulcan for a while.”
“That is…”
“As I’ve said before, it’s better for future events to change in a direction no one can predict.”
Lennok fell silent, and Antares leisurely shook his head.
“There is a clear distinction between what can be changed and what cannot.”
“Are you saying the outcome of this hearing won’t have a major impact on the future’s alteration?”
“Well, it’s less about that and more… thanks to you.”
Antares tapped the wheelchair’s handle.
“You are someone who didn’t exist in the conclusion I saw. When I intervene in what you do, I don’t have to worry so much about alteration.”
“……”
“No matter how things move, the future will ultimately follow the unknown. This time, I just want to watch that fact from the side.”
As Antares said this, he stopped in front of the hearing hall entrance and spun the wheelchair around.
The reporters who had slowly followed Lennok had formed a circle and were thrusting microphones at him.
A brief interview time given to the reporters before the hearing officially began.
“M-Mr. Van…!!”
One of the reporters summoned the courage to speak up.
He faltered as if the very act of saying Lennok’s name felt incredibly awkward.
“It is an honor to meet the great, great archmage.”
“……”
But he didn’t lose his courage and, bringing the microphone a little closer, boldly asked his question.
“Could you tell us why you decided to attend today’s hearing?”
Lennok slowly opened his eyes, and Antares shrugged as if to say, ‘do as you please.’
As they stood before the hearing hall, the sound of shutters vanished, the square growing quiet to hear his voice.
Lennok, who had been silently watching the reporters, raised his mana and opened his mouth.
[As I watched in silence.]
Vwooom!!
The moment Lennok’s mouth opened, a powerful, resonant voice burst forth.
It was not a physical voice but Yukhabjeonseong, a technique that shaped mana into the form of a voice.
The pinnacle of an art that transmitted one’s will into physical reality using will-thought alone.
[Lately, useless rumors and strange tales have been swirling around me.]
“……!!!”
At Lennok’s reply, which mimicked Olivera to overwhelm the recording devices present, the reporters’ faces turned pale.
Lennok spoke leisurely.
[I ignored them out of disinterest, but they grew beyond reason and became excessively exaggerated.]
“Th-that is…”
[Therefore, I wish to use this opportunity today to clear up any misunderstandings.]
Facing the reporters who cringed at the spine-chilling sensation, Lennok smiled.
[I hope that is a sufficient answer.]
“……”
The reaction from all the reporters gathered here suggested they did not agree with his words at all.
But soon, the reporters came to their senses and quickly began to throw out other questions.
Now that they knew Lennok would answer questions, they hoped to salvage even a small scoop from this opportunity.
If they could get a glimpse into Adamant Thunder’s private life or true thoughts, which he rarely revealed, it would be a huge opportunity.
“I understand you don’t normally use a wheelchair. Is there a reason you came to the hearing in one?”
“Could it be that you overexerted yourself in the battle with Cheonbeon…!!”
“An enormous amount of betting has opened up in various places over this incident. What are your thoughts on this!”
“Regarding the destruction centered around District 49, how do you plan to take responsibility…”
Kiiing!!
In that moment, the reporters’ voices, which had been growing wild from all directions, were abruptly cut off.
Though their mouths were spewing words, there was a strange sense of dissonance, as if the sound was not reaching their ears.
From inside the now-silent hearing hall, someone walked out and stood beside Lennok.
A woman with a glamorous impression, dressed in a suit, spoke in a blunt voice with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Time is up. The interview ends here.”
“~~!!”
The reporters seemed to protest wildly, their mouths opening to say something, but the sound didn’t reach this far.
The woman neatly ignored them and nodded lightly toward Lennok.
“You have been waiting long. Please come right this way.”
“You’ve created a vacuum sphere to block the sound.”
Lennok ignored her words and muttered, resting his chin on his hand.
“Judging by the highly regular mana array, it must be the magic of a Tower, refined through the transmission of spellcraft. Which one are you from?”
“Avenia Stenson, the Chiljeol of the Valefor Magic Tower.”
The woman, who introduced herself as Avenia, bowed politely.
“I have formed an alliance with the Vulcan Central Council and will be assisting with the council’s affairs for the time being.”
“Assisting with the council’s affairs, you say…”
Lennok said, staring intently at Avenia.
Though he merely cast his gaze while sitting in the wheelchair, Avenia’s body flinched for a moment.
Lennok’s eyes narrowed, not missing the reaction.
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Avenia admitted.
“I was invited to act as an advisor for the duel between Mr. Van and Cheonbeon. I have been staying in this city ever since.”
“……”
He had heard that wizards from the Towers had begun to stay in Vulcan one by one to conduct research after this incident.
But to think there were already high-ranking wizards who had formed alliances with the City Council and started their activities in earnest.
Quickly regaining her composure, Avenia spoke again.
“Now that Mr. Van has arrived, the hearing will begin immediately. This way, please… And Antares.”
Guiding Lennok toward the hearing hall entrance, Avenia gestured to Antares with her eyes.
Antares gave a transparent smile.
“Stenson. It’s been a while.”
“…Refrain from using precognition inside the hall. I have already warned the congenital espers attending the hearing.”
“Don’t worry.”
Antares replied leisurely to Avenia’s sharp words.
“I didn’t come here today to tell any ominous fortunes.”
“We’ll have to wait and see about that.”
Avenia’s lips twitched before she turned sharply and started walking ahead.
Lennok asked with a surprised expression.
“You know each other?”
“From way back. We worked together a few times.”
Antares said, slowly pushing the wheelchair into the hearing hall.
“The wizards of the Valefor Magic Tower are extreme pragmatists. They won’t even let them engage in outside activities if they can’t fight.”
“……”
“They’re generally skilled in advanced combat techniques, which makes them easy to work with, but many of them also have foul tempers.”
“Foul tempers…”
If Antares, who had seen it all in the mercenary world, said that, one could guess the reputation of the Valefor Magic Tower.
“Most Magic Towers have a stronger identity as research institutions. They seem to be an unusual case.”
“More than that, I noticed something from how she treated you earlier…”
Antares grinned and said in a quiet voice, inaudible to Avenia.
“It seems to me that Avenia respects you.”
“…What?”
“Perhaps because they are pragmatists themselves, the Valefor Magic Tower really likes people who are good at fighting.”
“……”
“She must have been strongly impressed by what you did recently.”
While Lennok remained silent at the absurd remark, Avenia, who was walking ahead down the hearing hall’s corridor, came to a stop.
It was because a middle-aged man with thick blond hair was standing in front of the massive door leading to the hearing chamber.
At a single glance, his face exuded a heavy, ponderous sense of pressure.
A deep blue badge indicating the Central Council’s Upper House shone on his sleeve.
He had been leaning against the door, seemingly deep in thought, but he straightened up upon seeing Lennok approaching from a distance.
“Ah, you’re not late.”
“Senator Haven.”
Konrad Haven.
A heavyweight with considerable influence even within the Central Council’s Upper House, a powerful figure who sometimes intervened in Vulcan’s major affairs.
He had encountered him once as Evan at the exposition, and once as Van while dealing with Leisen Azamaha.
Konrad scratched his head at Lennok’s indifferent reply and said.
“I heard there was a small commotion outside the hearing hall. So I wanted to check on it before we began, but…”
As he spoke, the senator’s expression turned dubious as he scanned the haggard Lennok in the wheelchair.
“…It seems there’s no need for that. Well, if your condition is that poor, the others will understand at a glance.”
“Why are you out here?”
What was Haven’s reason for being out here, leaving all the other council members attending this hearing behind?
Considering the sensitive public opinion, secretly meeting Lennok before the hearing began could itself be a risk.
Was there a reason for Konrad to risk that and meet Lennok beforehand?
“I owe you a debt from the matter with Leisen Azamaha.”
Konrad lowered his voice slightly and spoke, glancing at Antares.
He was likely reluctant to openly mention the incident where the former senator Leisen had combined with the Extinct Eye and become a monstrous being.
Had they achieved some results in their joint research to weaponize parts of Leisen’s body, which had been consumed by the Extinct Eye?
“Thanks to your advice, we have seen meaningful results since then. In return, I have a word of warning for you before the hearing begins.”
“Briefly.”
When Lennok nodded, Konrad immediately opened his mouth.
“A hearing conducted for a high-ranking superhuman is not a simple ceremony.”
Konrad’s eyes darkened for a moment.
“Restraints and restrictions are indispensable for the safety of the attendees and for stable proceedings. But these restraints cannot be imposed without a price.”
“Are you saying the Judgment Edict requires a price to be established?”
“…You already knew about the Judgment Edict? I suppose for an archmage, it wouldn’t be difficult to get information in advan-”
“One minute left. The door will open soon.”
At Antares’s confident words, Konrad cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyway, for the price of the Judgment Edict, one person each from the city government, the elder council, and the judiciary must step forward to enforce the edict’s establishment. And its members must be composed of superiors to all parties involved in this incident.”
“Superiors…”
Lennok’s eyes changed slightly as he understood the meaning of those words.
It was easy to forget due to the duel between Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon, but the fundamental cause of this incident was the arrest warrant that originated in District 19.
The reason for the warrant was that Vulcan’s Vice-Mayor, Amy Weinstein, had fallen into a coma.
And, if a superior to Vice-Mayor Weinstein had to step forward at this point to enforce the Judgment Edict-
“It seems you’ve already understood what I mean.”
Realizing Lennok had caught on, Konrad skipped all other introductions and nodded.
“This hearing. There’s a possibility the Mayor of Vulcan himself will be in attendance.”